CBC Files Motion to Throw out Jian Ghomeshi’s Lawsuit

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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An Ontario Superior Court motion filed by The CBC seeks to dismiss a $55-million lawsuit filed by Jian Ghomeshi following his dismissal from the public broadcaster. According to the notice of motion, it aims to stay or dismiss the action since the court has no jurisdiction over the matter or, failing that, that the matter is already being heard as part of a grievance process. Failing that, the CBC seeks to strike Mr. Ghomeshi’s claims outright.

The motion states that Mr. Ghomeshi has alleged breach of confidence and defamation, whereas “the only statement made by the CBC that is alleged to be defamatory is the following: ‘Information came to our attention recently, that in CBC’s judgment precludes us from continuing our relationship with Jian Ghomeshi.’” Furthermore, the CBC notice of motion reads that “the statement is not defamatory. In particular, the statement is not defamatory of Mr. Ghomeshi in that the words are not capable of any defamatory meaning either in their ordinary meaning or in any pleaded extended meaning.”

In addition to that, the CBC further claims that the information allegedly provided by Mr. Ghomeshi to the CBC “was not confidential.” It highlighted that “in particular, the information in question was information retrieved from CBC property and to which CBC was always entitled.” It alleges that Mr. Ghomeshi launched the lawsuit “for the collateral purpose of addressing the public in an effort to influence media and the public in respect of allegations of misconduct which the plaintiff knew were being pursued by certain reporters and were about to made public.”